During walks, we look at the environment gently, critically and with new eyes. The goal is to reacquaint oneself with one’s surroundings. Do we see something with new eyes, are we more merciful or unmerciful? What the pictures tell about us and our environment. Photographic walks are led by visual artist Tuomo Kangasmaa.
In 2026, the Photowalks will be located in the Sairaalanrinne area. The landscape and environment of the Sairaalanrinne area will undergo major changes with the demolition of the old university hospital building. The Kaupunginoja, or Hirosenoja, which will become Plaanaoja, also flows through Sairaalanrinne and the surrounding Park area, which is part of the Finnish Heritage Agency’s list of nationally significant built cultural environments. The walks will consider different perspectives on the area, which will be compiled into a booklet in autumn 2026. In addition, an outdoor exhibition will be produced from the images from the photowalks, which will spread throughout the Sairaalanrinne area in late 2026.
PHOTOWALKS IN SPRING 2026 – The walks start in front of the Kastelli Community Centre, at Sairaalanrinne 5.
Saturday 14.3.2026 – 12:00
Wednesday 15.4.2026 – 18:00
Saturday 23.5.2026 – 12:00
Saturday 13.6.2026 – 12:00
Autumn schedule will be announced later.
In 2025, the Photowalks took place in the greater Kaukovainio area. The photowalks were compiled into a new zine and an outdoor exhibition. You can read more about the Kaukovainio Photowalk from the exhibition page.
In 2024, the Photowalks took place in Heinäpää. Photo North invited residents living in Heinäpää and people who are fond about the place to be local guides to places that are important to them. During the series of photowalks visual artist Tuomo Kangasmaa lead the participants into the world of viewing. The photowalks are compiled into a Heinäpää Photowalk -zine and an exhibition was spread across the Heinäpää area on 21.12.2024-6.4.2025.
In 2023, the Photowalks took place in Meri-Toppila, where photographers observed the features and characteristics of a neighborhood characterized as barren. During the walks, the surroundings were looked at gently, critically and with new eyes. Photographs of the walks were compiled into a Meri-Toppila Photowalk -zine and into an outdoor exhibition, which was spread across Meri-Toppila from winter 2023 to spring of 2024.
In the fall of 2022, the Photowalks took place in Kaijonharju, where during the walks the borders of the area expanded beyond the geographical boundaries of the area, close to the university campus, and in historical and current perspectives around the Oulu city area. During the photography walks, we investigated how Kaijonharju looks through the eyes of the people of Kaijonharju, which are the places where the sunset is most beautiful, and what a photography walk is like moving around in a wheelchair.
Take a look at the Kaijonharju Photowalk zine, which includes shots from the project’s photographers, perspectives on walking as a tool for making art, and short comments on the importance of art and culture in the planning process and in neighborhood culture. In addition to the zine, an exhibition was put together from the photos of the participants, which has been exhibited both in Kaijonharjo, in Photo North’s lobby gallery and in the Madetoja park next to Valve.
